Our Blog: “The Little One Has Become Fifteen Thousand!”

That’s right folks! The blog now has over fifteen thousand members since we started offering free memberships in 2013.

Thank you all for making this blog a resounding success and a useful tool to help those who have been “skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd” by the con men at the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society!

See the following excerpts from the 2014 annual report. You can access the full report by clicking here.

How many visitors?

We are most definitely making an impact and helping so many people from 175 countries around the world.

Alena,
Here, here,
Thank you Doug, at times I thought I was the only one that was so stupid to get taken in by the WTBTS, but thanks to you and everyone who has contributed, I don’t feel alone in my recovery and onward journey journey into critical, analytical, free thinking.
congratulations Doug on reaching out to people, your kind messages of support have been very moving and kept me sane
Alena

it’s not only former JW’s that are helped Doug. This blog is encouraging to those who fall victim to all types of cults. It also brings awareness what people go through when they turn away from a cult and the price that’s paid..always well worth it but painful. thanks again.

Hi Doug
Robin from the UK here. Your work not only helps JWs and ex JWs, but also those of us who never were JWs, but nearly did in my case, and those Christians like me who feel led into helping those snared by the WT.
Thank you and congratulations on all that has ben achieved.
Blessings Robin

Dear Doug,
on conversation. You are quite correct. So many jw have no conversation above the initial greetings. Anything more is to is to release ‘catch’ words that they can with all sincerity attach a line of ‘borg’ speak too. Others of the sort who would criticise you for using the word ‘lucky’ will be as you say.
well.. cheers!

Congrats to you my Brotha! I needed a dose of good news. Today my Daughter asked me to leave her home. We were watching a news program. Centenarians were interviewed. One in particular was born in 1914. I made a comment regarding “this generation” of 1914 not passing away. She accused me of mocking her, asked me to leave and not return to her house. I was crushed to say the least! She is a smart University Grad who should know better, yet does not want to upset her Mother and apparently does not have a problem upsetting her Dad. Thanks for improving my evening, i needed it!

I was so afraid when my daughter told me to look at your website! I was a JW & my daughter had researched and resigned from the JW org. at that time. I thought she became demon possessed as JW’s are not allowed to do research outside the organization. I agree with Jean! Your website has helped me understand what I questioned for 10 years! The chains have been broken & I’m no longer a prisoner of the JW org!! Thank You Doug for your website!!!

Doug, sooner or later, your efforts will be rewarded. I wish there would be a way to bring all websites related to Ex-JW’s together and have the information flooding everywhere. There are so many topics that can be blogged and discussed. Just last Sunday, February 1st, 2015 Watchtower issue made me very sad and upset when reading about how Satan created all churches and the 1914 lie, the 144,000, all in one issue! I could not go to a meeting and hear these atrocities. I cannot understand how “intelligent” people believe this nonsense. This has got to stop. It is with great joy I thank you, Doug for placing the bell around the cat’s neck.

Alena,
And on, and on, and on….. another JW inaccuracy, reading Ed’s post made me feel so sad and upset, not just for Ed, but for his daughter too. I cannot imagine what a painful experience it is to lose your daughter to this cult.

Ed, I wish you solace and peace in your future life, and one day, when the WTBTS backtrack on another lie that your daughter was fed as the truth, she will realise and come back into your life.

The Watchtower Files has reached out to 15,000, there is a whole community here supporting and praying for you

Hey Doug
Piper from Western Australia 🙂
Thank you so much for all your informative information you are truly awesome 🙂
As zeb stated without rehearsed watchtower examples jw’s don’t have any idea what to say to others and if people challenge their view they’re not worthy !
And darling Ed hang in there it took me 20 years to break free 🙂 my heart actually breaks for you ……
I’m so glad I don’t have to hear another person say I can’t wait for this system to end….. Hang on how about try living now … If your so anti abortion and welcoming children lovingly from god why are you all waiting to die ?????
And Doug what can I say but THANK YOU your amazing 🙂

Thanks so much for all you blogs and the material . I awoke 6 months ago and with this and some other sites it was easier leaving as I had so many questions and needed the research to back up my doubts about jws, So thanks because many more need to come out. Thanks to your post

I’m so sorry that you’re having to deal with this. There’s an old adage that I live by: “A man (or woman) convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Until they are ready for the cold hard truth you will do nothing but antagonize them.

That seems to be what has happened here. Sometimes we have to keep our opinions to ourselves. That doesn’t mean that you and I can’t show our own Christian attitudes and actions daily. I’ve often said: “I’d rather someone say he LIVED a sermon rather than he PREACHED a sermon.”

Sometimes we allow our old JW habits and ways of thinking to influence how we act and react to others who are blinded to the truth by this organization. I used to do that myself. I would latch down and try to prove the other person wrong by showing them all sorts of embarassing facts about their beloved Watchtower. All it did was raise their resistance to the real truth about God and make them that much more hateful toward me.

Instead I watch and I wait. I wait for THEM to tell me of their concerns and then I help them to see things in their own good time.

If you or I say something then it can be called into question. However if THEY say it, it’s gospel.

Your daughter just wants peace and if allowing her mother to continue in this misguided and blind path and kicking you out for exacerbating the issue accomplishes that then that is a price she’s willing to pay.

Perhaps you should apologize to your daughter and try to win her back by being kind to her mother rather than critical?

I know this is a dose of “truth” that you’d probably rather not hear. However a true friend is willing to risk the friendship to help the friend.

It is like a kick on the side of the head. When you actually “flip” your mindset then you see everything for what it is. This can be extremely traumatic for a JW who is awakening. That’s why this blog is here. When they search me out, they find solid advice from others just like you who have gone through the process!

Thank you for participating in this great work and I am truly humbled by your kind words!

That’s the point. The Watchtower’s first step is to get you on the defensive. They teach you that you’re not worthy and that they are the only ones who can save you. This is a classic sales and cult technique.

As long as you’re busy worrying about what YOU did wrong you have little time to question what the Watchtower is doing wrong.

The best defense is a good offense and the Watchtower’s teachings are quite offensive.

Hi Gela,
I hope you don’t mind me giving a perspective of what it was like coming out of the JW organisation and offering some insight of what your husband might be going through, it’s just that it is
so sad when relationships are being torn apart, but maybe your husband is trying to come to terms with, not only the turmoil of his emotions, but also with his doubts of a support system which he thought was the truth. I know when I finally woke up, I felt so angry that the WTBTS lied to me. As a single parent of a disabled son with no family, I truly did believe that if I died before Armageddon, my brothers and sisters in the congregation would make sure my son would be looked after. I also believed that when Armageddon came, my son would live a perfect life, free from pain and discrimination. I truly believed in and completely loved the Jehovah God that they espoused with complete solace and faith in my heart.
When the society changed its doctrine and I realised they were making it all up, and especially the sexual abuse rule of two witnesses being present, I was so thankful that I did not get baptised, and was so relieved that my vulnerable, beautiful son would not be at risk of abuse from them, but I felt so angry that they took my dreams away from me, I initially couldn’t believe the depths of their depraved lies. I felt lost. It took a lot out of me emotionally, I missed the sisters that I studied with as they were good, kind, but misguided people. I was two weeks away from being baptised.
The WTBTS is emotionally bankrupt, freeloading off people as their sales force to make them money, inventing and scheming ways of scaring their followers from asking questions, creating blind faith.
Maybe your husband is trying to come to terms with the lies that the society told him, he may be struggling. Be there for each other and help each other through this time, maybe he is lost too.
I feel for what both of you are going through
Alena

Hi
Doug, Ive been unable to get to sleep the last couple of nights, so as someone who has only found The Watchtower Files since around September last year, I decided to have a read of previous posts.

I read a few posts on the “Are you stuck?” post, I nearly wet myself !!!!!! Garrett talking about dickheads at the kingdom halls, and drinking beer in bed on a Sunday morning, Doug talking about oral sex and making up his own songs to the JW tunes, I nearly blushed, ………….nearly but not quite !!!!!!
Thank goodness – sane people – we once led really boring lives
Alena

Thank you, thats classsssssic. Its Monday morn, I’m typing my lecture presentation for group of students, Tudor England, no kingdom halls, but King Henry messing about with the church, and chopping wives heads off, yeah we had dickheads back then, too !!!!!!!

I’ve been out of the loop the past week so I’m responding now. Yes the first thing you get back when you leave the JW’s is a sense of humor! I laughed and laughed at Garrett’s comments and I really enjoyed making up the new words to Kingdom Melodies.

I guess the only thing I can say about oral sex is that those who say they hate it simply haven’t tried it.

I laughed my head off too.
Yes, it is sooooooo good to be emotionally and psychologically free from their, hypnotic clutch, particularly the way they used the “blood guilt” mind trip. Even worse, the young children in JW families, who have been brainwashed into feeling guilty for Jesus’ death when they “sin”, I remember one discourse at the kingdom hall where a “dickhead” said that when children sin they make Jesus cry. They are just being children.

Sorry Doug, and all, I just feel like shouting this::
JEHOVAHS WITNESSES’S THAT IS WHAT CHILDHOOD IS FOR, TO LEARN, NOT TO BE BE CRYING BECAUSE YOU SAY THEY ARE SINFUL. CHILDHOOD IS FOR LEARNING, ONE WAY CHILDREN LEARN IS BY EXPLORING AND TESTING BOUNDARIES AND RULES, THEY ARE NOT SINNING. CHILDREN ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR JESUS BEING CRUCIFIED, STOP MAKING CHILDREN FEEL GUILTY FOR CHRIST’S DEATH.

Alena, Hi
when i first looked through the ‘Book of Bible Stories’ I realized it was ‘Do as you are told or else!’ horrible! There are just two stories int that are not so themed.
satan the arch child hater must be cackling away every time some parent picks that book up.

It’s part of the indoctrination Alena. Jehovah’s Witnesses have to put children “in their place” so that they will grow up to be dependent on the Watchtower for everything. They immediately start working on lowering their self esteem and limiting them socially. This perpetuates what the parents have already adopted as their own limited mindset.

Such things as thinking for yourself, reading “worldly” books, participating in sports, pursuing higher education, and making friendships with anyone outside of the organization are strongly discouraged and/or forbidden. The reason? All of these activities help raise self esteem in children and young adults and thus circumvent the Watchtower’s agenda to make them solely dependent upon the organization for their own self identity.

This is exactly why most Jehovah’s Witnesses are socially “retarded” when raised in the group. They simply have never been allowed to experience a social life outside of the organization. This is also why most DF JW’s eventually return the organization dragging their spouse and children with them. They simply can’t make it socially outside of the organization.

Essentially they have been institutionalized, having spent their entire lives within the confines of a theocratic prison. Sadly, even when they escape, they many times come running back to the “safety” of their former prison.

1) Go Back to bed (No more waking up weekends to put on a tie and shiny shoes. Grab a beer at 8:00 am
and lay in bed and listen to the Beetles “White” Album”

2) Go travel. (Get out and see the planet. I just got back 2 days ago from Central America…my 50th country traveled. You will discover a huge wonderful world out there waiting for you full of kind, caring people. )

3) Go to the internet and find and read a copy of Raymond Franz book “Crisis of Conscience”. After reading that
you will realize what a cult the Witnesses are and how dirty those Governing Body really are and you will realize
that it isn’t The Truth. That will help you break away.

4) Go to your computer. You can always write me. Ill be a good listener….Sometimes you just need a sounding board or someone who understands. My E-Mail: Iamicarus@me.com

5) Go to the local pub or bar with your laptop and have some celebratory drinks and crack your lap top open and start listing all the incredible things you want to do, accomplish and see in your lifetime. Start planning, start thinking, start dreaming…..you are off on a big beautiful adventure….enjoy it…

I am in the process of leaving the ‘society’ which to be honest I had never realised I had become an official member of. I married into a witness family -to the only one who wasn’t active- and after 37 years and 4 children and 12 grandchildren, my husband passed away 18 months ago (actually suicide) and I have been baptised since 1995. I got no real support, his family are shunning me now because I am smoking cigarettes. I am not DF yet and plan to leave with a letter. I have 2 of my children in agreement with what I am about to do. It’s very scary, I am having trouble planning what to do and who to be. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate reading your blog and the comments of others. Please keep it coming, I need REAL people to discuss things with and not robots who cut me down.

Take it slow and easy. Know that a lot of Jehovah’s Witnesses turn to smoking. I believe it is because, on a subconscious level, you are rebelling against what has been forced upon you and your family. Eventually you won’t need the cigarettes anymore. You’ll realize that this is merely a symptom of a much deeper need to voice what you have desperately wanted to say for so long.

Hi Barb,
I feel for you – I have had similar doubts and decided that the only way to gain peace was to widen out in my sources of material. Being fed a very narrow diet of carefully tailored spiritual food for 60 + years – it is hard to exist on a different diet. The best thing I did was read Ray Franz book – Crisis of Conscience. This book so clearly showed what was wrong with the belief / control systems that I had been a part of my whole life. Now at 62 I am having to learn a completely new way of looking at things. It is hard, ingrained ideas keep resurfacing.
It is worth it. Stick at it. There are so many who have seen the light & got out. We are all mutually supportive.

All due respect to everyone but I was a heroin addict I over does at least 20 times It was until I start a bible study that I had strength to get off heroin maybe.there are thing that jw preach that people but I know they are organization that continues to go door and preach to people you go to jw convention and tell what other group can bring that many people together and have no violence and leave.the place better then when they got there idk a lot I’m pretty stupid when it come certain thing idk but I know this today I have been off heroin for almost.year I have.3.kids.that I now have a.relationship with because I made.do to study the.bible study aawith Jehovah witness

First, let me applaud your kicking that insidious habit. You’re an exception to the rule as most people can’t ever get off of heroin.

That being stated, there are countless religions out there that can claim the same from Buddhism to Catholicism and all points in between. There are also rehabs and twelve step programs that have helped people kick any number of addictions.

Here’s a few things I’ll say:

1. Jehovah’s Witnesses have a long history of violence. It’s just very well covered up. Spousal abuse and child abuse are rampant in the organization. Don’t believe me? Check out http://www.silentlambs.org. They keep it very well hidden so it isn’t readily apparent until you’ve been “in” for a long time. Child sexual abuse is a terrible thing and it has been allowed to go on and even covered up by members of the organization. This is a fact.

2. Going door to door doesn’t make you a truth bringer anymore than putting a shoe in your garage makes it a car.

There’s one person that has decided to keep you off of heroin and that’s YOU. I don’t discount divine help in this matter. I merely question any divine help from an organization with such a long history of abuse of their followers.

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About Me

Hi I'm Doug Shields.
I was a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses for twenty-three years of my life. I finally realized that they didn't have "the truth" and I left the organization.

That decision cost me members of my family, my friends, my reputation, and in some respects, my identity. I had to rebuild my life one brick at a time.

Today I'm a happy, productive, and highly fulfilled person.

The purpose of this blog is to help others who are experiencing strained or broken relationships, self destructive behavior, addictions, depression, and low self esteem as a direct result of involvement in destructive mind control cults.

I hope you find this blog to be as helpful to you in reading it as is to me in writing it.